Arne Slot handed Liverpool boost amid Wataru Endo Japan decision
Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has been omitted from the Japan Olympics squad, according to The Athletic.
Writing on their website [3 July], it is said that Endo will be available for the full pre-season schedule.
The news will come as a welcome surprise for Arne Slot as Endo was expected to be selected as one of Japan’s over-age players for the tournament.
Slot will need as many first-team players available to assess the squad ahead of the 2024/25 season, with several key members of the squad currently away at Euro 2024 and Copa America.
Endo can still do a job for Liverpool
Liverpool fans were not expecting the announcement of Endo as the club cried out for a defensive midfielder last summer.
After reported targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia both joined Chelsea, the club pulled the trigger on Endo, who at 30-years-old at the time, split opinion amongst the fan base.
The Japan captain proved the doubters wrong and was exceptional for large spells of his debut season.
He has since admitted that the club needs to invest in the midfield this summer [This is Anfield, 24 June].
But Endo can still play an important role for Slot this upcoming season despite the potential acquisition of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
As per Fotmob, the 31-year-old ranked highly compared to his Premier League peers in his position.
His 28 tackles ranked him 71.3 per cent higher than other defensive midfielders in the English top flight.
He won 31 contested duels at 70.5 per cent higher. Whereas his 53.4 per cent of aerial duels won, placed in the top 81 percentile in the league.
Despite not registering a single assist last season he scored highly in his ball distribution. Endo recorded 1,153 passes with 88.4 percent accuracy which ranks in the top 82 and 75 percentile respectively.
The Japanese international was never meant to light up the Premier League with his arrival. His acquisition was a diversion in transfer policy to sign a capable stop-gap in the midfield.
For £16million, the numbers suggest that he is criminally underrated in England.
With Stefan Bajcetic returning and rumours of potential signings, Slot is lucky to have a player of Endo’s quality available in his squad.
In other Liverpool news, Luis Diaz must step up as he fails to outshine Liverpool teammates at Copa America.
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